Combination form for washing woolen socks



D. J. MAFFUCCH COMBINATION FORM FUR-WASHING WOOLEN SOCKS .Fam. 5, 1954 Filed Jan. 9, 1952 I N V EN TOR. J/f/V AZ a Mfr/ azz Patented Jan. 5, 1954 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE COMBINATION FORM FOR WASHING WOOLEN SOCKS Daniel J Maffucci, San Francisco, Calif.

' Application January 9, 1952, Serial No. 265,571

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to washing accessories, and more particularly aims to provide means in the way of a form or forms insertible into woolen socks or the like to prevent or eliminate or minimize shrinkage of the sock as a consequence to washing the same. It is common experience to find that woolen socks have shrunk after the usual washing, with obvious undesirable results. The utilization of this invention is therefore practical and extends the useful life of woolen socks.

The above broad as well as additional and more specific objects will be clarified in the following description wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts in the accompanying drawing. It is to be noted that the drawing is intended solely for the purpose of illustration and that it is therefore neither intended nor desired to limit the invention necessarily to any or all of the exact details shown or described except insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawing, Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the three separate members constituting the complete invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a sock illustrating the manner of inserting one of the two form members into the foot thereof, as the first step.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the sock fragmentarily and the other of the two form members, illustrating how the latter is positioned, as the second step, in relation to the former, and also showing the clamp applied although the clamp need not necessarily be applied in this step.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the final assembly of the invention with the sock, ready for washing the sock.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral Ill indicates one of the two form components of this invention and the numeral II indicates the other. The former comprises a substantially rectangular frame having the opposed long sides l2 and the end sides l3 and M. The end [3 may be a straight length, as shown, or it may be rounded, if desired, like the opposite end (4.

The form H likewise comprises a rectangular frame but it has a lesser length than the form I0, and it comprises the two long sides l5 and the two ends l6 both of which are preferably rounded, substantially as shown. The width of both components In and H is substantially the same.

In use, the smaller form I l is first inserted into the sock, shown at I! and is urged down snugly into the foot of the sock. The form II with the sock foot thereon is then positioned against the form ill and intermediate the length of the latter, and the leg of the sock is first laid or held outward in a line with the sock foot. Fig. 3 shows the frame ll (having the sock foot therein) in intermediate position being swung counter-clockwise into position of parallelism with (i. e., against) the frame Ill. Then the leg is doubled back inside out over the rounded end [4 of the form it and drawn back along the upper end of the frame Ill and the upper end of the sock heel (having the frame I l therein), as far as it will go, without actually stretching any portion of the sock. This is illustrated in Fig. 4.

Finally, in order to prevent swinging or movement of the toe end of the sock and the form contained therein, a clamp of any desired form, shown at M and preferably in the form of a resilient yoke having two opposed legs I9, is slipped over the exposed end 13 of the member Ill with its legs grasping and clamping about the toe end of the sock and the end iii of the form H positioned within the toe of the sock.

With the form components l0 and II thus positioned in and with respect to the sock and with the clamp IB holding as above-mentioned, the entire assembly constitutes a unit in which the material of the sock is widely exposed so that when the assembly is suspended or otherwise disposed in a tank of circulating water the sock will be washed without any danger of shrinking.

If desired and as a further aid in holding the assembly in compact condition, a rubber band, nlot shown, may be applied laterally to the assemb y.

Thus a practical invention, inexpensive in cost of manufacture and simple in operation or use, has been provided for washing woolen socks with a minimum risk of shrinkage of the socks.

Obviously, modifications in form or structure may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

I claim:

A device for maintaining woolen socks against shrinkage during laundering consisting of an elongated substantially rectangular frame, said frame comprising a single length of wire and having the two sides thereof mutually parallel, one end of said frame comprising a straight length of said wire at right angles to said sides, the other end of said frame comprising an outwardly arched length of said wire, a second elongated substantially rectangular frame of substantially the same width as said first frame and or shorter length than said first frame, said second frame comprising a single length of wire and having the two long sides thereof mutually Parallel and having the two ends thereof outwardly arched, the width of both of said frames being substantially equal to the width of the sock when flattened out, said second frame being adapted to be inserted into the foot of the sock with one of said endsthereof registering in the toe of the sock, the sock withsaid second frame therein as aforesaid Bing adapted to'be positioned parallel with and against said first frame with said second frame lying intermediate the length of said first frame, the leg, portion. of the sock being adapted to be doubled back insidlb'nt over said first frame with said arohed end of said first frame registering in the 'doiible'd back leg portion of the sock and said legportion drawn over said first frame and the adjacent por tion of the foot of the sock with said second frame References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number A Name Date 1,602;078 Knox Oct. 5, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS mbe C y Date 360,570 Great Britain NOV. 12, 1931 

